[PAA-Discuss] Article in today's Galveston County Daily News

[Tucker Bradley]

Before I moved back to Houston, I was part of Galveston Peace Action Network for years, sang at many rallies, made signs and banners, marched in the MLK parade, stood in the rain in front of the courthouse time after time, held signs on Broadway at morning rush-hour with one other person, while drivers flipped us off and aimed fingerpoints like guns at us.  Those rallies, historically, have never been well attended, but the important point is that we showed up anyway for peace and against war. GPAN can not rely on numbers to make its statement. It's more about heart.  I salute Mark Muhich for his tenacity and spirit at single-handedly keeping the peace movement alive in Galveston.

Tucker Bradley
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: June Bennett Larsen 
  To: PAA Discussion List 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:00 PM
  Subject: [PAA-Discuss] Article in today's Galveston County Daily News


  Where have all the peace people gone?


        By June Larsen
        The Daily News 
       

  Published January 30, 2007

  The following quotation is from an article by Molly Ivins in the Jan. 17 edition of The Galveston County Daily News:


  “We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. … Join the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people there, banging pots and pans and demanding ‘Stop it now.’”


  Ivins’ words have become a mantra for the growing number of us who passionately object to the invasion of Iraq and the proposed “surge” of troops, many of whom will either never come home or will return wounded and maimed shadows of their former selves.


  On what started out to be yet another grey, rainy, foggy day on Saturday, some people gathered on Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard at 47th Street not only to voice their opposition to war but also to speak and sing in praise of peace.


  Chants were chanted, peace songs were sung, people spoke and we heard the text of a speech with praise for our troops who have been maimed or who have died because a small group of powerful men in Washington saw an invasion of Iraq as a way to make tremendous amounts of money at the expense of those who would have to fight this war.


  With the theme of “Honor... Duty... Country,” the writer of this speech, Gold Star Mother Amy Branham of Houston, challenges “we the people” to show at least half the courage of our servicemen and women, as well as their parents, wives, husbands, brothers and sisters who must send their beloveds off to battle.


  As of Saturday, 3,066 of the troops had been killed, as well as thousands of Iraqis, and thousands upon thousands who have been injured for the rest of their lives.


  And for what? Amy Branham’s only son, Sgt. Jeremy R. Smith, was killed in Iraq, in Feb. 2004, at the age of 22.


  Peace rallies were held across the country, the largest in Washington, where thousands gathered and speeches were made by a distinguished group of speakers, including U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who voted against both the invasion of Iraq and funding yet another deployment of troops to Iraq.


  Houston had a sizeable crowd at its peace rally, with members and supporters of Radio Station KPFT in attendance.


  Sad to say, I counted only 11 people at the Galveston peace rally, most of whom were from Galveston, but with three from Friendswood.


  Three to four people showed up late, but at least they made an appearance.


  Small as the group was, we were very proud to be there.


  “Where have all the flowers gone?” wrote Pete Seeger during another senseless and stupid war, and a song we sang at the conclusion of our dedication to peace. 


  And, I ask, why were there so few to attend the Galveston peace rally? Where have all the Galveston County Democrats gone?


  June Bennett Larsen lives in Friendswood.


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